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Last Fall, we were asked to produce Brides Magazine's March cover story in the Arizona desert, with the great photographer Noe Dewitt! We love the desert, especially in the fall, and Noe is an old friend- so we knew it was going to be a great shoot. Our preproduction began with the locations search- we were open to anywhere that would provide a beautiful desert backdrop, and a good mix of alternate options. After a lot of research, we landed on the incredible Tanque Verde Ranch, about an hour outside of Tucson. It's a resort that specializes in events and weddings- and it was the perfect place for us to shoot. It's property line backs up directly against the Saguaro National Forest, home to some of the world's largest and oldest Saguaro Cacti, and provides amazing vistas around every turn. The resort itself is an attractive mix of pink stucco walls and an old time Western feel. The property also has stables, and over 100 horses available to ride (or model if necessary, though we did not enlist one for that purpose). The location options were plentiful and amazing, but what really stood out about the property was its incredible staff, which was one of the most accommodating hotel teams we have ever experienced. From the grounds staff, to the front desk, to the dining room, to the maintenance team, the staff at the Tanque Verde was incredibly helpful and willing to make happen whatever we needed. Our local production team in Arizona was awesome as always to work with, and we had excellent weather for the whole shoot. We were in and out of Tucson in less than 72 hours, which was way too short- we will return!

Every once in a while, we are lucky enough to work on a project that is exciting, educational, fun, and for a good cause too. Last Spring, we were asked to produce a very special event and photo shoot for White House Black Market and Living Beyond Breast Cancer, an amazing charity devoted to connecting people to trusted information about breast cancer, and a community of support. White House Black Market has had an ongoing partnership with LBBC for years, funding countless programs and initiatives, and ton of of promotion. This year, they wanted to show their solidarity with the organization in a compelling way, and create an amazing image in the process.

Our client's idea was to create an aerial image that showed several hundred WHBM employees, arranged in the shape of a perfect pink ribbon, one that would symbolize WHBM's support of LBBC and breast cancer awareness in general. Sounds simple right? We thought so too, but we quickly realized we faced more than a few logistical challenges: site selection, timing/lighting, heavy equipment, permitting, airspace regulations, scheduling, shot angle, and inclement weather to name a few. Our biggest challenge was the need to get several hundred people into a very precise ribbon shape, in a very short amount of time. The size of the ribbon had to be perfectly calculated not only to fill the camera frame from an acceptable height, but also sized to accommodate the exact number of participants- if the ribbon was too small, it wouldn't fit everyone who wanted to participate- if the ribbon were too big, there would be too few people, and too many holes in the ribbon shape. We needed the ribbon to look densely packed, with good color, and nice clean lines.

After much research, we decided our best approach would be to paint a perfect pink ribbon shape on the ground, then guide the participants to stand directly on the shape until it was completely full. Assuming we got the dimensions right, this would allow people to place themselves quickly and easily, and for the color of the paint to enhance the image density too. We worked with an architect in San Francisco to get the dimensions of the ribbon shape perfectly calculated for 400 people, then enlisted our friends at Milestone Outdoor- a team of professional billboard sign painters from NYC- to fly down to Florida with those plans and execute the painting.

Our architect also created schematics of our location, and presented us with potential views of the ribbon from different heights and angles- as it turned out, we would need to shoot the ribbon from a camera height of 52 feet. Once we had this data, we started sourcing the boom equipment we would need to get our photographer and digital tech safely to that height.

The event-planning aspect of the day was another challenge. With over 400 people involved, it was critical that we devised a plan that allowed for everyone to enjoy the associated speeches and events, and have fun and stay cool in the 90+ Florida temperature while working on the shot itself. We decided to give everyone a number, and call them out to the ribbon in groups of 50 at a time. A long series of pop up tents and water coolers would keep the waiting participants calm and comfortable, and limit the amount of time everyone had to be in the bright sun. The participants would be guided from the photographer and producer 50 ft above, via bullhorn.

On the morning of the event, we awoke to blue skies and great weather. The pink ribbon mural looked amazing from the top of the boom equipment. The tents were in place, and the coolers were stocked. All we needed were the people. As they began to file into the auditorium, we greeted them all with a numbered ticket along with some pastries and coffee. The President of White House Black Market, Donna Noce, gave an inspiring speech to her team, and the energy of the room came to life. As everyone geared up for the photo shoot, our production team got in position and began guiding the first group towards set. Photographer Paul Thorburn was aloft in the boom at 50 feet, and gave the WHBM employees a hearty greeting via bullhorn. The shoot was off to a great start.

As more participants filed in, and got into position atop the ribbon, the energy of the day took hold. It was clear that everyone was having a great time, and was very excited to show their support for such a great organization. The final shots came together beautifully, and we were so proud to be a part of it. If you'd like to learn more about Living Beyond Breast Cancer, visit their website: http://www.lbbc.org. If you'd like to make a donation, click here!

Here's a rough time lapse video of the WHBM.LBBC pink ribbon event- it gets good towards the end!

We were so pleased to be a part of Anthropologie's first ever dedicated catalog of furnishings and home decor last summer. It was an incredibly challenging shoot, but one that went incredibly well. We had a great time with the team, and the final images look great!

It all started, as most shoots do, with a location search. We were charged with sourcing a set of 3-4 complementary locations, each with a specifically designated style. Each location had to not only look amazing, but also have the square footage and load-in capability necessary for a shoot of this scale. They also had to be within a reasonable distance from the Tri State area. We worked with our location contacts to present over 50 different locations, and plowed through several rounds of location planning with our clients. We also did our own targeted research, and found an incredible brownstone in NYC that had never before been used as a location. We were able to get in touch with the owners directly, and convince them to let us shoot in their beautiful home, for the very first time.

We ended up shooting about 3 weeks straight, and based out of NYC and upstate NY. The physical scale of the shoot was sizable considering the crew size- wherever we went, we had at least 2 24 ft merchandise trucks in tow, along with our trusty passenger van, props van, and photo SUV. We tried to make the transportation plan and travel routes as efficient as possible, and I think we did a good job, considering the amount of stuff we had to travel with.

I can't say enough about our incredible team. The in house creative team showed up ready to work. The props team was nothing but professional, inventive, and talented. Our props PA's worked as an integrated unit, and facilitated the gargantuan task of emptying, re-furnishing, then restoring all off the locations we used. At every home, we basically had to empty most of its furniture, then load in our own merchandise to shoot. After the shoot, our team had to put each location back together again, exactly as we found it. We are proud to report that we didn't damage a single piece of homeowner property during our 3 weeks of shooting. All of our location owners were very happy with our on-site work and attention to detail and safety. This was a result of our professional, respectful, conscientious team's incredibly diligent work throughout the shoot, so THANK YOU to them!

As the days passed by, our crew became a tighter and tighter unit, a well-oiled machine impervious to exhaustion. Photographer Simon Watson was instrumental in keeping morale high. His unflagging ability to power through the more difficult moments, and sheer talent for finding great shots in the most challenging corners were nothing compared to his consistently cheerful attitude, which kept us laughing and working hard through even the longest days. Prop Stylist Kim Ficaro was another consistently cheerful presence on set- and she did an amazing job styling the beautiful tableaus she and Anthropologie are known for. Our biggest thanks go to everyone at Anthropologie- their in-house creative team was so talented, and a huge pleasure to work with.

Please enjoy some of the final work from the shoot, as well as some behind the scenes pics and videos below. Thanks!

We had the privilege of taking Anthropologie to Savannah, GA for a fun shoot last spring. Photographer Bettina Lewin and the rest of the team took full advantage of the beautiful backdrop of historic Savannah and Tybee Island to create a set of ethereal images and a web video for the brand.

The locations were beautiful- from the shady tree-lined streets, to the cute cafes, to the faded grandeur of the haunted mansions- Savannah delivered. We shot in some "famous" local haunts as well- Back in the Day Bakery and The Paris Market both provided great ambience for the shots- and snacks- for our crew.

Our whole team was consistently impressed with 3 things- the locations, the food, and the nice people that seemed to grow on trees. Everywhere we went, people we courteous, curious, friendly, and accommodating. We ate at several amazing restaurants, and loved them all. A special shout out to The Olde Pink House, an historic Savannah restaurant, that was kind enough to let us shoot (as well as eat) there. Southern Hospitality at its finest! That goes for our local vendors as well- our local PA's, rental houses, caterers and car services were all out of this world, and a pleasure to work with. All in all, we can't say enough about how convenient, pleasant, and production-friendly it was down there. Savannah, we will be back soon!

Last Spring, we had a blast producing Calypso's Resort 2014 catalog on the Caribbean island of Barbados. Working with our amazing Calypso team, and lots of old friends on the island made it feel like a breeze. We had great weather, and photographer Matt Jones and his team were great to work with. And we were lucky enough to shoot with the beautiful Nadine Leopold for 2 whole days in the sun. Barbados is one of our favorite places to shoot- it's the easternmost of the Caribbean Islands, and something about it just feels special.

From New York, it's a 4 hour direct flight to the island- it's out there! Once on terra firm, the island boasts a number of world class resorts on the West side of the island, as well as a wild and untouched coast on the east, facing out to the Atlantic. There's great surfing on both coasts, and of course, great locations for a shoot abound. The architecture of the islands is varied, with some colorful single family homes, and some larger plantation style homes. Our favorite locations are several historic properties scattered around the North side of the island. They're elegant and romantic, without seeming too stuffy or polished. While the main town of Bridgeport is a bustling city and not ideal for shooting, the much smaller Speightstown neighborhood offers lots of great color, and a flexible local backdrop. We had an afternoon flight back to NYC, so we found time to take the crew paddle boarding in the AM before we left. Great times! Our shoot was a short one, but we still managed to enjoy much the island has to offer. Thanks Barbados, hope to see you again soon....

This February, we had a blast producing Calypso St Barth’s Summer shoot in Miami! The client and crew were amazing- and everyone was thrilled to be in Miami for 3 days in the dead of winter. Photographer Michael Sanders worked with Calypso to make knockout Hannah Davis look even more beautiful than usual, modeling the Calypso summer line. Our lush locations and perfect weather contributed to the romantic feel of the final images- which you can see here!

On an environmental note, Miami proved an excellent place to support our sustainable practices. We were able to recycle all of the usual suspects (paper, cans, bottles, plastic) without issue, and we found a fantastic urban farm to compost our organic waste from set. Carbon wise, this shoot had a relatively large footprint, due to all the air travel, but our on-set practices reduced that number a bit. Overall we used 8 metric tons of carbon- we then offset this amount 100%, bringing the shoot carbon-neutral as usual!

We’ll post the final images when they are released, in the meantime, please enjoy these behind the scenes shots from Florida. Thank you Calyspo!

We aren’t usually enlisted for corporate events, but when our friends at Daddy Creative Communications, a Berlin-based experiential marketing agency contacted us with a chance to spend 10 days with Bentley Motors in Las Vegas, we said….why not?

After weeks of planning, we took 21 of Bentley’s best European dealers on a whirlwind 4 day Vegas extravaganza, including a helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon, incredible meals, a mob tour, plenty of gambling, and of course the requisite nighttime insanity. While many of the pictures can’t be published, please enjoy the ones that made the edit below.

We left Las Vegas tired, but pretty impressed with the production-friendly nature of Sin City. We built a great network of contacts, and look forward to visiting again soon. We were also quite taken by the natural beauty of the surrounding desert- lots of great options for a shoot. Aside from the inherent dangers of shooting in Las Vegas, we wouldn’t hesitate to bring a group that way again- we actually think it would be a great place for a shoot. Direct flights, inexpensive hotels, food, and transportation, access to flashy locales as well as pristine outdoors- it’s worth considering as an LA/Palm Springs alternative. In any case, we had a great time with the folks at Bentley and our colleagues at Agent Daddy, thanks everyone, enjoy the pics!

County Fair took a trip to Vermont during the last few weeks of summer, and we were blown away by all of the location possibilities there. From idyllic farms, to scenic roads, rustic barns, to pristine colonial towns and architecture – Vermont had a lot of location options.

We took a day trip to Montpelier (the state capital) to meet with Joe Boochkin at the Vermont Film Commission. He showed us a million great locations, and put us in touch with a number of great local contacts. We love shooting in upstate NY, but Vermont is truly worth considering- it’s just a bit further from NYC, but in our opinion the cohesive quality of the locations, from farms, to homes, to roads, (not to mention affordable rates and generally friendly residents) make it a solid option. In addition to the location options, we also liked the way that almost all waste was recyclable, and that so much of the food we ate was grown and raised on nearby farms. The Vermont community has been supporting those ideologies for decades, and it shows.